Josip Skoblar

Infobox Football biography
playername = Josip Skoblar
fullname = Joško Skoblar
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1941|3|12
cityofbirth = Privlaka
countryofbirth = Kingdom of Yugoslavia
height = 1.82 m
nickname = "L'aigle Dalmate"
currentclub = Olympique de Marseille (scout)
position = Striker (retired)
years = 1958-1959 1959-1966 1966-1967 1967-1970 1969-1975 1974-1977
clubs = NK Zadar OFK Beograd Marseille Hannover 96 Marseille NK Rijeka
caps(goals) = 00? 00? 0162 0(63) 015 0(13) 057 0(31) 0169 0(138) 0394 0(244)
nationalyears = 1961-1967
nationalteam = Yugoslavia
nationalcaps(goals) = 32 (11)
manageryears = 1983-1987 1986-1987 1987-1988 1988-1989 1990-1991 1994
managerclubs = NK Rijeka Hajduk Split Hamburger SV Dinamo Zagreb Hajduk Split Nîmes Olympique

Josip Skoblar (born March 12, 1941 in Privlaka, near Zadar) is a former Croatian football player, as forward and capable of playing on both wings, and also football manager.

Playing career

Club

Skoblar played in Yugoslav First League for NK Zadar (1957–58) and OFK Beograd (1959–67). With OFK Beograd he won the Yugoslav league cup in 1962 and 1966. In Germany he played for Hannover 96 (1967–70). In 57 games in Bundesliga, he scored 30 goals.

He was willing to play in Marseilles, but the chairman of Hannover didn't want to lose such a player. Marcel Leclerc, chairman of Marseilles, went to Hannover on a quick journey and came back with the player, it was the beginning of a great adventure with Marseilles. The player was applauded at the airport by many fans.

In France, Skoblar played for Olympique de Marseille and was three time top goalscorer in Ligue 1 (1971–73). Skoblar win the European Golden Boot in 1971 for 44 goals in Ligue 1, he still remains as the best scorer in a season in Ligue 1. With Olympique, he won the French league title in 1971, and French league and cup title in 1972. OM fans refer to him as "l'Aigle Dalmate", "l'Aigle des Dalmates" (The Dalmatian Eagle), or "Monsieur Goal" (Mister Goal).

International

For Yugoslavia Skoblar played between 1961 and 1967. In 32 games for Yugoslavia, he scored 11 goals. Skoblar participated in World Cup 1962. Skoblar scored one goal, and Yugoslavia finished in the fourth place.He first played for the national team on May 7 1961, for a Friendly match against Hungary. He ended his international career on October 7 1967 against West Germany, before the end of the Euro 68 qualification competition . The Yugoslavia national football team ended 2nd of the Euro 1968 without him.

Managerial career

His career of player over, he came back to Marseille, and became technical manager in 1977. He later became head coach for Hajduk Split with whom he wan 2 Yugoslavia Cups, Hamburger SV and NK Rijeka. He is employed at the Olympique de Marseille since 2001 as scout, and he is now close to retirement. During the summer 2001, he was with Marc Levy the co-manager of the team for 3 days, few days before the nomination of Tomislav Ivic.

Comments from other famous player

Just Fontaine says about him :"When I watched him front of the goal, each time, I was thinking, kick from the inside of the left foot, ... from the outside of the right foot ... a header, now! ... he had already done it ... scoring each time, exactly by the only possible way, and in just a split second. In the last 30 years, he has been the only striker that I ve seen like that in France"

Honours

Player

* Ligue 1 winner 1971, 1972.
* French Cup winner 1972.
* Yugoslav league cup winner 1962, 1966.
* 32 caps and 11 goals for Yugoslavia between 1961 and 1967.
* European Golden Boot in 1971 with 44 goals.
* three times top goalscorer in Ligue 1 (1971–73).

Coach

* 2 Yugoslav league cup with Hajduk Split in 1987 and 1991.

References

*"Nogometni leksikon" (2004, in Croatian)
*sr icon [http://www.reprezentacija.co.yu/reprezentativci/Skoblar_Josip.htm reprezentacija.co.yu]